This document defines key terms related to worldwide express freight, including accessorial fees, bills of lading, bonded warehouses, certificates of origin, claims, consignees, consignors, dimensional weight, freight classifications, full container loads, hazardous materials, less than truckload shipments, national freight classifications, pallets, and truckload shipments. It provides concise explanations of common industry terms.

1. Worldwide
Express
Freight
Glossary
2010
Accessorial
Fees:
Amount
billed
for
performing
services
beyond
normal
pickup
and
delivery.
Actual
Gross
Weight:
The
total
weight
of
a
commodity
or
shipment,
including
the
weight
of
the
goods
and
packaging.
Bill
of
Sale:
A
document
that
confirms
the
transfer
of
ownership
of
goods
or
property
from
one
party
to
another.
Bill
of
Lading:
A
legal
contract
between
the
shipper
and
the
carrier
for
the
transportation
of
goods
that
confirms
receipt
of
goods
by
the
carrier
at
pickup
and
receipt
of
goods
by
the
receiver
at
delivery.
The
bill
of
lading
also
provides
a
description
of
the
freight
and
indicates
origin
and
destination.
Bonded
Warehouse:
Often
referred
to
as
a
customs
warehouse,
a
bonded
warehouse
is
a
secure
facility,
authorized
by
customs
authorities,
in
which
dutiable
goods
are
stored
and
processed
while
awaiting
payment
of
duty
or
clearance
for
export.
Currency
Adjustment
Factor
(C.A.F.):
An
additional
charge
assessed
on
freight
costs,
which
reflects
an
adjustment
due
to
losses
or
gains
incurred
by
a
carrier
from
constantly
fluctuating
currency
exchange
rates.
Certificate
of
Origin:
A
document
used
in
international
commerce
that
validates
the
country
in
which
a
product
was
made.
Claim:
A
request
for
reimbursement
for
freight
that
is
lost
and/or
damaged.
Commercial
Invoice:
Foreign
trade
document
used
by
customs
to
determine
the
value
of
goods
for
the
assessment
of
duties
and
taxes.
Consignee:
The
person
or
company
who
receives
shipped
articles,
also
referred
to
as
the
receiver.
Consignor:
The
person
or
company
who
ships
the
articles,
also
referred
to
as
the
shipper.
Dimensional
Weight:
Calculation
of
dimensional
weight
is
based
on
the
total
weight
and
cubic
dimensions
of
a
shipment.
Air
freight
carriers
commonly
use
dimensional
weight
to
determine
freight
charges.
Rates
based
on
dimensional
weight
consider
the
density
of
a
shipment,
which
compares
the
weight
of
an
item
to
the
amount
of
space
that
the
item
occupies.
Delivery
Receipt:
The
control
document
used
to
deliver
freight
to
the
consignee.
The
delivery
receipt
is
signed
by
the
consignee
and
the
driver.
Density:
Refers
to
the
weight
of
an
article
expressed
in
pounds
per
cubic
foot.
Density
is
calculated
by
comparing
the
weight
of
an
item
to
the
amount
of
space
the
item
occupies.
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2. Worldwide
Express
Freight
Glossary
2010
Exception:
A
shortage,
overage
or
damage.
Exceptions
should
always
be
noted
on
the
bill
of
lading
or
delivery
receipt
that
accompanies
a
shipment.
Freight
Classification:
A
designation
assigned
to
a
commodity
on
which
the
transportation
rate
is
based.
Full
Container
Load
(FCL):
Ocean
freight
service
intended
for
a
quantity
of
cargo
that
fills
an
entire
20
or
40-­‐foot
ocean
container.
Containers
are
stuffed
(loaded)
and
un-­‐stuffed
(discharged)
under
the
risk
and
account
of
only
one
shipper
and
one
consignee.
Hazardous
Materials
(HazMat):
Commodities
classified
by
the
Department
of
Transportation
as
hazardous.
Shipments
containing
hazardous
materials
require
special
handling
and
documentation.
Less
than
Container
Load
(LCL):
Ocean
freight
service
intended
for
a
quantity
of
cargo
that
does
not
fill
the
visible
or
rated
capacity
of
an
entire
20
or
40-­‐foot
ocean
container.
Less
than
Truckload
(LTL):
Freight
shipments
generally
weighing
between
151
and
10,000
pounds
that
do
not
require
the
use
of
an
entire
trailer.
Multiple
LTL
shipments
from
many
customers
are
combined
with
other
shipments
to
fill
a
trailer.
National
Motor
Freight
Classification
(NMFC):
The
categorization
of
freight
as
defined
by
the
National
Motor
Freight
Traffic
Association
(NMFTA).
Domestic
LTL
carriers
use
the
NMFC
to
classify
freight
and
calculate
freight
charges.
Pallet:
A
wood
or
metal
structure
used
for
stacking
freight
that
allows
freight
to
be
handled
by
a
forklift
or
pallet
jack.
Truckload
(TL):
Freight
shipment
generally
weighing
more
than
19,999
pounds
that
requires
the
exclusive
use
of
a
trailer.
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